Everybody knows this recipe nowadays. If you ever step into any TGIF, Hard Rock Café or Memphis restaurant you will be familiarized with onion rings.
Onion rings are one of those plates that almost no one can resist — along with nachos and chicken wings.
This is one of my favorite appetizers and of course, I wanted to master the art of a good onion ring from the comfort of my home. Now that the game days are close, this recipe can be the perfect addition to your game food menu.
It is easy and requires easy-to-find ingredients and zero culinary techniques. They’re Just some onion rings covered in a “special” batter — I will tell you all about it in a minute — that give them that super crunch outside.
But onion rings are not that great by themselves. They always come with some kind of sauce that elevates this recipe to the next level of yumminess. For me, the answer to this is a good bowl with homemade marinara sauce.
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How to make homemade marinara sauce from scratch?
This recipe is my ace under my sleeve for parties — or pasta dishes that work beautifully with this sauce.
You only need 4 basic ingredients that I guess many of us have in their pantries.
- Canned tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Dry basil (or fresh)
The rest is salt,pepper and the magic touch…. sugar.
Yes, you read it right, sugar is the key for a deep and rich marinara sauce.
The sugar balances the natural acidity of the tomato. This will balance the sauce flavor and it will give it an amazing result.
You can store this homemade marinara sauce in your fridge for up to 1 week. You can use it on pasta, on meatball sandwich or in cannelloni.
But for today will use it on our super crispy onion rings.
These two make a great combo. Now that we have an authentic marinara sauce, we need the crispiest onion rings that we can get.
How to get the perfect onion rings?
Nobody wants a soggy and oily onion ring that cannot hold its shape. The key for that crusty look that makes us drool is the batter.
This batter is not complicated whatsoever. You just need the classic elements for a batter for deep frying.
- All-purpose flour
- Egg
- Milk
- Bread crumbs
The interesting thing is that instead of coating with flour, then passing through egg and milk and finally coating with breadcrumbs, I make a thick batter with the flour, eggs, and milk that will stick on the entire surface of the onion ring.
This ensures that the entire onion ring is coated with a thick batter that will create this beautiful brown crust. Also, there are fewer chances of uneven spots.
I hope you like this recipe and I see you in the next one!
- 2 big onions
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- Oil to fry
- Salt and pepper
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 can crushed tomatoes about 400gr
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dry basil
- ½ tsp sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
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In a small pan heat the olive oil over low heat. Toss the garlic and cook until fragrant ( about 1 minute)
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Take the heat to medium-high and add the crushed tomatoes, the dry basil, the sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Cook until the sauce reduces for about 5-7 minutes.
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Peel the onion and cut it crosswise to get the onion rings.
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Mix the flour with the baking powder and coat the onion rings with this flour. Reserve the remaining flour.
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Mix the egg, the milk and the flour that we just used. Mix until you get a thick batter.
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With the help of a fork, coat the onion ring with the batter and finally coat them with the bread crumbs.
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Fry the onion rings until they are brown on both sides ( you can use a deep fryer or a deep pan).
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Serve along with the marinara sauce.
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.